Where to place email in your sales pipeline

It's all about using the correct: 
Placement / Planning / Metrics

Ask yourself, why are we sending these emails?
Is it for a sale?
To nurture the lead?
To drive website traffic?
To raise/maintain brand awareness?

You must quantify your ROI on your email campaigns! Find where you can get the biggest bang for your buck and then AUTOMATE. Take a careful look at your customer life cycle:

Attract
Acquire
Service
Retain
Refer

Consider reviewing / revising your life cycle emails and make sure you are doing the following:

• Keep it relevant + interesting for your subscribers: "teach me, don't sell me"
• Don't talk about your company through a megaphone- subscribers only care about their problems not yours!
• Consider how you handle yourself when the sale is not imminent- this is speaks volumes about your brand.
• Give guidance, share info, and always remain positive
• Make sure your thank you emails provide:
• Links to past content
• webinars
• video links
• Provide the shoppers / "kicking the tires" leads with access to plenty of relevant info- make them into educated buyers.
• Always offer links to unsubscribe or view your privacy policies
• Ask the lead to whitelist your sending address
• Show them what you will be sending and how often to set the expectations and BUILD TRUST
• Consider building a welcome campaign instead of just a single email (ex. 4 part series over 5 weeks)

Relevant Content

"Relevancy" is found at the intersection of the:

List Segment / Email Content / Timing of Send

2 of the top 5 focuses for marketers in 2011 are:

1. Creating time triggered emails
2. Segmenting based on behaviors

But where can you find this content? I am not a writer!
Do an internal inventory audit for quality content and really look at the communication/sales pipeline and the communication within it.

What is your brands competitive advantage?
A lot of companies are hiring on “Brand Journalists” or “Content Directors”- these people find the human stories in your brand and create content that gives insight into company culture, production, and community.


But where do I find the time?
Create a master content calendar in advance, in line with all other initiatives, promotions, events, and objectives:

• Use REAL hard dates
• Production scheduled milestones
• Approval dates
• Ship Dates- DO LESS and ship, not more and miss
• Make sure your content is ultra shareable + craveable

3 types of Content:

1. Re-purposed Content =  the art of combining existing content with a communication purpose, all in a relevant way. Found in:

• Media coverage
• Speakers
• Engagements
• Case studies
• Analysis’
• Reports
• Blogs

  2. User generated Content

• Students words / pictures / thoughts
• Human touch speaks volumes
• Add a customer review link to applications/students/grads emails

          Don’t ever fear negative feedback- when you admit weakness you build trust.
         “Tell me what you can’t do, and I will believe you when you tell me what you can do.” 
                    – CEO Meclabs

          Setup  processes to “see” brand evangelists even through departments
          Allow sales/support the ability to send you permissions for brand evangelists to have a voice.

    3. Original Content = “Focus on being interested instead of being interesting”

• How can we help, be of service, or solve problems without selling my programs?
• Emotions motivate people- Move, touch, inspire.

Compliment existing offers with bonus offers:

• Interview an e-book author
• Write or record a session

Good places to find original content:

• Internal listeners
• Employees
• Suppliers
• Evangelists

Thank these people with newsletter recognition, cup of coffee, or a gift card.

Allow customers to submit stories on the websites/blogs/social

Practice story telling:
Personal Experiences + Customer Community = Brand Truth